Containers for toilet salves and the like



Dec. 29, 1959 F. J. CURRY I 2,919,019

CONTAINERS FOR TOILET SALVES AND THE LIKE Filed July 7, 1958 f 9 PIC-5.5. n

United States Patent CONTAINERS FOR TOILET SALVES AND THE LIKE Francis Joseph Curry, Barnt Green, England, assignor to Jarrett, Rainsford & Laughton, Warstock, Birmingham, England, a British company Application July 7, 1958, Serial No. 746,797 Claims priority, application Great Britain July 26, 1957 2 Claims. (Cl. 206-56) Toilet salves, such as lip salves, and coloured toilet creams are commonly put up for the market in the form of a short stick inserted in a cartridge made of metal or moulded plasticsubstances which can readily be held and manipulated by the fingers. The cartridge is often provided with means for propelling the stickinto and retracting it from a position of use. The complete cartridge may be made of cheap material and be adapted for fitting in a decorative or more expensive container suitable for carrying in a ladys handbag. When a stick of salve is used up, the cartridge (complete with the stick-propelling means, if provided) can be bodily removed and discarded and a new cartridge containing a new stick of salve inserted in the container in place of it. The cartridge is withdrawn from the container for use.

Normally the outer container comprises a base part having a socket in which the base of the cartridge can be received, and a removable tubular cover, having one end open to engage frictionally with the base part, and closed at its other end. Such containers are usually designed to house one size of cartridge only.

An object of the invention is to provide a convenient container for a stick of toilet salve provided with a mount or support, such as a cartridge as above indicated, from which container, when opened, the mount or cartridge partially projects for easy withdrawal but can be moved bodily inward until it is wholly within the container.

Another object of the invention is to provide easily releasable gripping means for the mount or cartridge within the container arranged so that the means and the mount or cartridge gripped by said means are bodily slidable in the container to a limited extent and the slidable movement is resisted by spring means capable of projecting part of the amount or cartridge from the container when the latter is open.

The cap for closing the open end of the case is preferably hinged to the case at or near its open end and has resilient means for retaining it in the closed position.

The appended sheet of drawings illustrates a convenient embodiment.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the container closed.

Figure 2 is a similar view of the open container with the stick cartridge in its partly projected position.

Figure 3 is a sectional view of the container and sleeve but with the cartridge in elevation.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the slidable sleeve and its spring.

Figure 5 is a plan of the sleeve.

The container comprises a tubular case a with a hinged lid [2 which has a snap fastening lip c opposite the hinge d. The lip c engages over the opposite edge of the tubular case and into a groove e. The gripping means comprises a sleeve slidable within the case a of a length about two thirds of that of the case and of inner diameter larger than the largest cartridge to be received in it. It is provided near the end which is intended to be innermost in the case a with an internal ledge g,for example by rolling a groove around its exterior. The resilient gripping means for engaging a removable cartridge are formed around its median part by slitting the sleeve to form spring tongues h which are pressed inwardly to such an extent that they define a circle of substantially smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the sleeve, so that they can grip releasably cartridges of a range of differing diameters.

The ledge g within one end of the sleeve f forms an abutment for one end of a spring 1 which is preferably introduced between the sleeve and the closed end of the container a so as to urge the sleeve outwardly. Small inward abutments j are formed in the open end of the container a to engage the outer end of the sleeve f and limit its outward movement under the pressure of the spring. The ledge g within the sleeve, in addition to forming an abutment for one end of the spring i is engaged by the end of the cartridge k, holding the stick of salve or the like, when the cartridge k is fully inserted in the sleeve.

When the cartridge and stick is thus inserted in the sleeve and the sleeve is in its outermost position against the abutment j, the butt end m of the cartridge projects from the container and can easily be gripped by the fingers of a user for withdrawing it from the sleeve. However, by pushing the butt end m of the cartridge, the spring-pressed sleeve f and the cartridge gripped by the resilient tongues h of the sleeve will be bodily housed within the container a and the open end of the container can be closed. It is preferred to provide means for preventing the sliding sleeve 1 from turning relatively to the container. In an angular section container as illustrated this can be effected by forcing out oppositely projecting parts of the rim above the ledge of the sleeve as at n in Figure 5.

Where the cartridge case is provided with known propelling means (not shown) such as a longitudinally guided cup for the base of the stick of salve and a rotatable sleeve surrounding the cup and having a helical slot which engages a projection from the cup so as to traverse it in the cartridge, the butt m is a rotatable part which can be turned by the fingers to move the cup and stick.

The container provided by the invention is suitable for use with a variety of sizes of cartridge which can be inserted and withdrawn quickly and easily. When spring means are provided for urging the grippingmeans towards its outermost position, then on opening the cap of the case, the cartridge housed in the container is automatically presented for withdrawal and use.

I claim:

1. A container, for accommodating a stick of toilet salve, such as lip salve, coloured toilet cream and the like supported in a removable mount, comprising a tubular case open at one end, a sleeve for receiving the stick and its mount, the sleeve being axially slidable within the tubular case but limited in its outward movement;

a spring arranged to urge the sleeve outwardly and to cause the mount within it to project from the open end of the tubular case, resilient tongues in the sleeve arranged so as to grip the mount and a hinged cap with spring fastening for closing the open end of the tubular case when the mount and the stick with the sleeve in which it is releasably gripped are pushed wholly within the tubular case.

2. A container for accommodating a stick of toilet salve and its mount, wherein the container comprises a tubular case with a closure device, a gripping means for the stick mount within the case, which gripping means is in the form of a sleeve slidably mounted and having Patented Dec. 29,

resilient inwardly pressed tongues in its wall, the sleeve further having near its upper edge an inward ledge forming an abutment for a spring arranged to urge the sleeve against a limiting stop toward the open end of the tubular case, but permit its inward movement against 5 the pressure of the spring, and a cover for the open end of the tubular case.

'References'Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

